Taishite Ryu no Ai
by Dark Spellcasters
Summary: The Dragon Yugi is wounded as Pegasus steals his energy to steal the Millennium Items. The Dragonslayer Pharaoh Yami takes the innocent boy into his care, not knowing his heritage. An unbreakable bond develops between them -- Love. A/U, Yaoi YxY, BxR, SxJ
1. Fated Beginning

Authors' Notes: Sage- Wellps, here it is! Our first collaborative story, aren't you all just dying with excitement?  
  
Ari- Yeah, yeah, just DYING... *rolls eyes*  
  
Sage- Come come now, have some confidence!  
  
Ari- Right... confidence... YOU'RE the yami, I'm the HIKARI.  
  
Sage- Not each other's, so it doesn't count. :P  
  
Ari- Fine, fine... *ahem* Disclaimer. And since I remembered it, you have to say it. :P  
  
Sage- Evil.. Fine, fine. We don't own any Yu-Gi-Oh characters, not one. We do, however, own Ari, Sage, and the loverly idea behind this entire story. ^_^  
  
Ari- *nod nod* And there will be yaoi content, and if you don't know what that is, or don't like it, get OUT. You've seen the description anyway.  
  
Sage- Indeed. Let's get on with it, shall we?  
  
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The small, lithe, golden dragon flew over a busy city, high up beyond the clouds, where the people could not see. If they saw him, they would try to kill him. It mattered little that they would not succeed; they would still try. That was the problem with most humans, no common sense whatsoever. How had they managed to become the world's dominating species?  
  
He sighed grumpily. Why were these people so against him? Their race was dying out because of the humans, and most of them had done nothing. A few bad ones had been born, to be sure, but why the sudden prejudice against their entire species? Humans had been evil; they caused much more destruction than the dragons had ever done. Why were they not all destroyed? So much for justice.  
  
The High Dragons are almost all gone... he whispered bitterly in his mind. We have nearly all died out. Especially. especially with such a small number of females being born. How many exist today? Three. There are only three female High Dragons left. He snorted. Things are certainly going well for us.  
  
He wondered if perhaps he should follow Tennyo's example. Tennyo, who had first proclaimed to them that Dragons would be no more. Tennyo, who had first noticed that if they were to live, to keep alive even a small amount of their blood, they must live with the humans. Tennyo, who had first truly gone to the humans, to live amongst them. She had wed one, shown them that they were not so different. Bravery, however, seemed to be a lost virtue these days.  
  
The little golden dragon sighed. All the ancient dragons have gone into hiding, to live out the rest of their long lives in peace and solitude. Only the "younger" ones, still old by human standards, remain. Most have chosen their sides, to live either with their dragon kin and try to hide from the relentless hunting of the humans, or to become a human. The golden dragon was too young to make a living as a human, yet with the dragons, he had no one. A lose-lose situation. Yes indeed, things certainly couldn't get any better.  
  
The dragon stared longingly at the human market. His journeys there had always been filled with wonder and beauty. It had been so long since he had last gone, so long since that time when someone recognized his violet eyes, marking him as a High Dragon. Again, he felt bitterness, strange to his usually cheerful demeanor. He wanted to visit the humans without fear. The Lesser Dragons could do that. They had human-colored eyes. Again, he snorted. Somehow, it didn't seem right that the most important of his race were branded, easily spotted by blood-thirsty humans. Whoever said life was fair had been lying.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
"Are you sure you ought to do this?" the white-haired teen asked respectfully, yet nonetheless with an edge to his voice. He ran a hand through his long silver-white hair and turned his chocolate-brown eyes to the youth beside him. "Don't you think it's a bad idea too, Seto?" It was more of a statement than a question.  
  
The tall, brown-haired blue-eyed teen nodded slightly. "There have been rumors that the Dragons are coming back. If they should catch you. You know that they bear you no love. They will not welcome you just because you're-"  
  
The one to whom they were talking glanced at him sharply, and he immediately shut his mouth, ashamed. It was a delicate subject. Not to mention he had the tact of a rhinoceros with a tooth ache. A part of his mind wondered when the part that controlled speaking would finally learn to just drop it altogether.  
  
The youth sighed. He had heard their arguments before, always the same reasons stated in the same voices, one high and almost delicate, one firm and controlled. He answered them in his deep voice, the same argument. It could have been scripted.  
  
"There have always been rumors that the dragons are returning. First of all, that is not true. Second of all, what have I to fear from them? I am protected by you two - Ryou, my Mage, and Seto, my High Priest. I have my own magic to use against them. I have the only Dragonsbane weapons. What have I to fear?" He raised an eyebrow, silently daring the other two to come up with a retort. Like he always did.  
  
Ryou sighed, his white hair spilling over his shoulders. Their Pharaoh could be so stubborn. "And what if the peasants recognize you?" There was little chance that they would not recognize him, if he happened to catch their eye. There was little chance that they would not know the golden bangs, ebony-and-red hair. If they saw him. The Pharaoh made sure they did not see him. He had gotten quite good at it, as a matter of fact.  
  
"We are going," the Pharaoh declared, finishing the argument. Like he always did. It was nice to have control over something.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
"Remember to call me Yami," the Pharaoh reminded his bodyguards, the Mage and the High Priest, once more. He could not stress the topic enough, it seemed. "Not many people know my name, and I do NOT want them to know who I am."  
  
Seto sighed. "You have reminded us a million times already."  
  
Ryou grinned. "Like we needed to be reminded in the first place."  
  
"If someone does recognize me," Yami continued, ignoring their comments. "remember to fall into your roles and go along with the story of weeding out assassins."  
  
"Yes, yes, we know!" Both of his guards' voices clearly held exasperation.  
  
Yami turned and smirked. Today, he was going to have some fun. He was going off by himself.  
  
"Hey, look at this!" Ryou called excitedly. He tugged on Seto's arm and dragged him towards a stall glittering with gold and jewels. The taller one rolled his eyes, looking as if he'd rather jump in a pit of scorpions than be taken shopping with the white-haired boy.  
  
Yami grinned. Now was his chance. Pulling his hood lower, so that it concealed his ruby eyes, he melted into the crowd and walked the other way. Unfortunately, he bumped into someone, causing him to drop his belt-pouch, spilling a tiny shower of golden coins.  
  
"Gomen nasai!" Yami apologized and bent to pick up the coins, handing them to the stranger. Only then did Yami see how small his hands were. It was a child. Yami's eyes flowed to his arms, clad by rags, to his dirty and smudged face. Why does a peasant in rags have so much money? However, his question was forgotten as he saw the boy's hair. It was just like his own, red-rimmed black with golden bangs. All the boy needed were some gold streaks. What really made him catch his breath, however, were the boy's eyes. They were large, amethyst-colored. Yami felt his pulse quicken and his hands tingle where they had brushed the boy's. "Kirei."  
  
The boy saw the youth look at him, confused by the expression on his face. He could catch only a glint of his eyes, and could not determine even their color in the shadow of his hood. Their shape, however, was exquisite, as was his delicately chiseled face. The boy caught a flash of golden bangs before the cloaked youth caught his eyes with his own orbs. He bolted. What had the person said? If he did not know better, he could have sworn it was "Kirei". Had the youth called him beautiful?  
  
Yami blinked. Why did the boy bolt? Yami was curious, too, why he looked almost exactly like him. Well, like a younger version of him anyway. A younger, more delicate, beautiful.. He blinked. Where had that come from? Quickly storing it for later examination, the young Pharaoh picked out his look-alike easily in the crowd and followed him.  
  
The boy was aware of his "stalker". He wove through the crowds, trying to lose him, but the youth was an excellent tracker. The boy glanced back occasionally. Yes, he was still there, as he thought he would be. Great, he probably saw my eyes.. Scowling, the boy made a few hairpin turns, diving through openings between people that were quickly covered seconds later. However, he could still see the other, trailing only a few yards behind.  
  
Suddenly, a man driving a horse-drawn carriage came speeding down the street, disregarding where he went or who he crashed into. People scrambled out of his way, scooping up small children and animals as they went. Those not quick enough were trampled half-to death by the horses, or run over.  
  
The boy hesitated. The youth following him was heading to that intersection. Intent on his location, he had not yet seen the carriage. A few more steps would take him into a collision. Stop, come on, stop.  
  
Yami brushed sweat from his brows, careful to not to lift his hood. When he looked back, the boy was gone. He blinked. Where.? He stepped forward onto the street, his eyes surveying the crowd where the boy might have gone.  
  
Suddenly, something rammed into Yami, knocking him off his feet and off of the street, back into the narrow alley. A split second later, a blur of horse and cart whizzed by, clattering down the street at a rate that certainly could not be considered a friend to safety. Yami looked down, wondering who had saved him.  
  
"Thank. you." Yami's voice trailed off. He was staring into the face of the boy he had been shadowing.  
  
The boy looked up, understanding Yami's initial gasp when he saw him. The youth's hood had fallen. He looked like him. He breathed heavily, both from the impact and from the shock. So that was the reason. Good. It wasn't because he recognized what I was. But his eyes. They were red. Could he be one of them.? But the boy did not recognize him. Yet, there was that strange feeling, tugging at him. What was it? What.  
  
"I'm Yami," the youth introduced himself. "What's your name? Why did you save me? Don't you know that you might have gotten hurt?" Yami wasn't quite sure why he was asking so many questions so quickly, he was feeling a bit flustered.  
  
"I'm." the boy mumbled under his breath. He was not used to having people talk to him. "I. I." He fumbled for an answer, knowing he sounded incredibly stupid. Should he give his name? Why did he save Yami, a total stranger? True, most of them were shielded, leaving no fear for injury, but he was too young to develop his yet.  
  
"It's all right," Yami murmured soothingly. He hadn't even known previously that he could speak soothingly. "You don't have to answer." His eyes were riveted to the boy. His eyes, his face, his body. He felt something so strange and intense that it scared him. What, exactly, was going on? A part of his mind was yelling at another part, trying to get it to realize something. Unfortunately, it wasn't having much luck.  
  
The boy trembled, and Yami frowned in concern. A voice broke into his thoughts.  
  
"There you are!" Ryou dashed up. Coming to a halt before the two, he bent doubled-over, trying to catch his breath. "I had looked all over for you, Pharaoh!"  
  
The boy gasped, amethyst eyes widening.  
  
"No," Yami whispered to Ryou, though he knew the effort was futile. "No, no. He doesn't know who I am yet."  
  
"Oops." Ryou whispered back. Yami sighed in exasperation.  
  
"You. you're the Pharaoh?" the boy gaped and fell to his knees. "I'm sorry. I."  
  
"Where do you live?" Yami asked gently. Again, he wasn't quite sure what was making him ask these questions. He had a lurking suspicion that it had something to do with the part of his mind that was now making a serious effort to convince each and every other part that it was right about something.  
  
The boy trembled. Why did he want to know? Was he going to punish him for touching him? For touching the Pharaoh. He could still feel that strange tremor that came from that touch. "W-why.?"  
  
Yami blinked. "So I could reward you for saving me, of course." That was a poor excuse if there ever was one. A reward was given by hand as easily as anything else, and was much simpler in most cases. This was one of them.  
  
"I. I have no home."  
  
"Then come live in the palace with me!" Yami invited. He hoped the boy would say yes. There was that strange feeling in his heart, aching. Now that out-spoken part of his mind was nearly screaming at him, begging him to realize. something? What was it?  
  
The boy shook like a dry leaf in the wind. Live with the Pharaoh? But Bakura had said that the Pharaoh was evil, that he was cold and cruel. Perhaps he was wrong. After all, all he had to go on were rumors. Bakura had been known to stretch the truth on more than one occasion. And yet. The knife at the Pharaoh's belt. It was a Dragonsbane knife, he knew. Even if Yami was gentle and caring, when he discovered who he was, he would kill him immediately. But he wanted to go. He wanted to go so much it hurt. He wondered why. And how had he decided that the other was gentle and caring after knowing him less than ten minutes?  
  
"I."  
  
He ran, as fast as he could.  
  
Yami stared at him in confusion as Seto caught up. Shrugging, the three returned to the palace. The pharaoh went reluctantly, the boy seeming to tug on his heart like an invisible string. That insistent part of his mind seemed to be attempting to take a large mallet to the parts that controlled his legs.  
  
A short distance away, in a deserted field, a golden dragon took to the skies.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Yami strode through the palace corridors, thinking about the boy he had met. He did not even get to know his name.  
  
He came to a door marked by a starburst, intertwining black and white lines. When did he get there? He had meant to go to his room, not this guest suite. But then again, this was where he might get some answers.  
  
The door opened at his knock, and he stared down into shining green eyes. The occupant of the room blinked once, then stepped back and gestured for him to enter.  
  
"Sage-Chan, we have a guest!" the girl called laughingly. She invited Yami to sit on a cushioned seat at their table. He accepted, albeit a bit stiffly.  
  
"Oh, tell him to go away, Ari-Chan," came the grumpy reply.  
  
Ari laughed. "It's the Pharaoh!"  
  
Her half-sister came out of a side room, yawning. She sat down beside Ari and murmured a few words. Three cups, filled with chilled fruit juice, appeared on the table.  
  
Yami regarded the two girls, still marveling at how they could be related. They were as different as night and day. The one who answered the door was short and slight, with long white hair, more silver than Ryou's, and cat- like emerald eyes that reflected light in gold glints. Her skin was unnaturally pale, and her long, flowing gown was made of pearl-colored silk. She was smiling, always cheerful and perky, reminding one of an innocent child. Her half-sister, Sage, was quite different. Much taller, she had dark blue hair that was almost black under normal lighting conditions. Her fiery eyes, almond-shaped as her sister's, changed colors, from red to orange, flickering like a real fire. Though pale, her skin seemed at least human-like. The cloak covering her tunic was black, with a few silver embroideries. Though cheerful, she did not seem overly so. Even though she was the younger of the two, she seemed more like an adult.  
  
"Healer Arivess Leyahri, Sorceress Sage Hageshii," the Pharaoh greeted with a respectful nod. They were traveling mages, the most powerful in the land, surpassing his and Ryou's powers by far. "You have been far. I wish to ask a question of you."  
  
Sage grinned. "He must have something he really desperately needs. Haven't seen him this formal and polite in ages."  
  
Ari giggled. "Indeed. Wonder what it is. Heehee, looks like he wants us to make a love potion." Her half-sister pretended to gag.  
  
Yami made a face at the former, dropping all formalities. "You two have been to a lot of places, haven't you? Yes, you have. You're traveling mages. I've heard that here, for a few months, was the longest you've ever stayed in one place."  
  
Ari rolled her eyes. "Do we look that old?"  
  
Yami laughed. "Mages are supposed to be able to look young at choice. Anyway. I was at the market today-"  
  
"Again? You just went last week! Don't you know how your stupid council will freak?!"  
  
"I'll just tell them I've been visiting you," Yami smirked. "Which won't be a complete lie. Anyway. I was at the market, and I saw a boy that I've never seen before."  
  
"Oya," Sage said, shaking her head. "There's a lot of people you haven't seen."  
  
"Not one that looks like me."  
  
The sisters froze, glancing at each other hesitantly, their thoughts confirmed in the other's gaze.  
  
/It's him./ Ari murmured.  
  
//Ugh, why did he come to THIS market?// Sage grumbled. //I mean, after Bakura warned him about the Pharaoh, untruthfully, I admit, he should steer clear of this place.//  
  
Ari shrugged mentally. /I heard that he was discovered in the other one a few weeks ago. Someone recognized what his odd eye color meant./  
  
//Lots of people have purple eyes. okay, no they don't. But still. No one's accusing Yami of being a Dragon, and he has RED eyes!//  
  
/They suspect. They just can't accuse, because he's Pharaoh./  
  
//Well, no one's been accusing us, in case you haven't noticed. If no one gave you a second glance, they could just think they were a normal green, but that's unlikely. And there's absolutely no reasonable explanation for my eyes.//  
  
/Hm. We're also the most powerful mages anyone has ever seen, in case you haven't noticed./ Ari grinned mentally. /If they were to accuse us, who knows, we might turn them into frogs or something./  
  
//Frogs?//  
  
Yami poked them curiously. "What are you saying? Do you know who it is? You do, I can tell."  
  
//We can't tell him, can we?//  
  
"Didn't you ask him his name?"  
  
Yami shook his head. "Well. I did ask. He just didn't answer."  
  
Ari sighed. "If he didn't want to tell you, it's not our place to tell."  
  
"Please?"  
  
//What should we tell him?// Sage scrutinized the pharaoh without being noticed, trying to determine why exactly the youth was so eager to find out the amethyst-eyed boy's name.  
  
/His nickname?/  
  
Sage blinked. //He has a nickname?//  
  
/He does now. You know, that name./  
  
//Ah, right.//  
  
"Well." Sage started. "We can't tell you his real name, but we can tell you this: He has been called Seijun before." (a/n- Seijun = innocence) //Ari.. Look at him. He doesn't know it yet, but..//  
  
The shorter girl looked over, and after a few seconds, gasped quite noticeably, causing Yami to blink in confusion. /Oh my gosh, you're right!/ She giggled mentally. /Oh dear../  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Authors' Notes: Ari- Whee! Well, that was that.  
  
Sage- That was what?  
  
Ari- *rolls eyes* The first chappy!  
  
Sage- Oh.. You should be more specific. ^_^  
  
Ari- *sighs* Anyway, READ AND REVIEW!!! Please? *makes a Yugi-like face*  
  
Sage- *blinks* Asking helps? 


	2. Stolen Magic

Authors' Notes: Ari- *yaaaaaaawns* I'm tiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiired! Stayed up past midnight writing this...

Sage- I TOLD you not to, but do you ever listen to me? Nooooo... no one listens to Sage! *pouts*

Ari- Well, I was sick earlier. And besides, I was bored.

Sage- -_- That's because you should have been ASLEEP.

Ari- But I wasn't tired! And besides, aren't you glad I wrote it? Or else it wouldn't get done until sometime this weekend!

Sage- Meh, good point I suppose…. Although I was smart and wrote it after-school. :P

Ari- Like I said, my stomach hurt. And I had to clean my stupid room.

Sage- Hai, hai…. Let's get on with it! And this time, I'm NOT doing the disclaimer! HA!

Ari- *sulks* Fine! We do not own Yu-Gi-Oh or any of its characters, although I AM planning to take over the company... (yeah right, in my dreams.)

Sage- Ha, not if I do first. ^_^ There's also yaoi content, as you probably already know. Don't like it? There's that back button right up there...

Ari- And the pairings will be YxY (getting to it...), SxJ (sometime soon...), and BxR (also, sometime soon...)

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The sky shone behind the gathering of three dragons. They must hurry, and not be seen together. One was the little golden dragon with amethyst eyes. The two others, however… One was black, dark as the midnight sky, the sun glinting off of obsidian scales. The other was silver, almost white, radiating light. All together, they made quite a sight.

"It's getting bad…" the silver dragon murmured. "You're in danger!" The statement was directed at the amethyst-eyed creature. 

The golden dragon blinked his large eyes. "Danger…? Me? Why?"

The black dragon shook her head sadly. "You're too innocent and trusting. There's someone after you – mostly your power. He has been shadowing you for quite some time now."

The silver dragon glanced around in concern. "I hope he hasn't followed us here… If he knows who we are…!!" It wasn't fear, exactly, in her voice, but one could have mistakenly identified it as such. 

"I'll make sure he doesn't live to tell anyone else," the black dragon grumbled. "No one – NO ONE! – must know who we are." She clenched a claw into a sort of fist menacingly, teeth bared. 

The gold dragon cocked his head curiously. "Why don't we kill him now, before he causes trouble?" His eyes slid from one of his companions to the other in question.

"Yeah, why don't we?" the black dragon nodded in agreement. "Any answer to that? Eh?" She trained flashing eyes on the radiant creature beside her, wondering what her response would be. 

The silver dragon shook her head stubbornly. "I want to see him dead as much as any of you, but we can't! If we kill him, the humans might, and probably will, realize. We can't start another war with them. They're just _itching_ for an excuse to kill us off." The other two nodded, although reluctantly, in agreement. 

The black dragon sighed in disappointment. "Alright… Just be careful, all right?" Her warning was, as the other's had been, directed at the golden dragon. "I don't know why he's trying to take you, of all dragons, but he is. You have great potential. Once you have grown, we will train you. For now… Watch out for yourself." Her gaze rested on the small creature, who met her eyes and nodded. 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

The silver-haired man smirked, a glint in his narrowed reddish-brown eyes. He brushed a strand of his long, straight hair out of his face and reached out another long, almost delicate finger to trace a line of magic onto his ever-growing spell. The lines were perfect, thin and precise, in an eye-boggling pattern of loops and whirls, geometric and natural shapes, as confusing as the room around the man, as bizarre as the man himself.

The room was, in the man's opinion, perfect, as he was, in his own mind, flawless. It had once been an abandoned fort, now twisted beyond recognizing. Clashing colors were thrown against each other, to an effect that would be horrifying to any other. Shapes began and ended from nowhere, to nowhere. Some seemed to be just… there… because there was nowhere else they could be. A lamp hung in a most unlikely place, lighting a still-dim corner. A big fountain sat in the middle of the room, sprouting red wine, not water, surrounded by tables and shelves of glass vessels that tipped precariously. Yet, somehow, like the man that designed it, this room held a sense of sick, twisted elegance.

"Master Pegasus, you required my presence?" The voice was hesitant, respectful, devoted. It was the kind of voice every servant should have, in the silver-haired man's opinion. 

The man, Pegasus, turned, not losing his smirk, faced his most loyal servant. The servant was no more than a teen, obeying his every wish and whim with pleasure. He had long black hair tied into a ponytail on the top of his head, dark brown eyes, and could almost be called handsome if not for the evil shadow over his face.

"Otogi…" Pegasus greeted, nodding his head. "I would like you to see my greatest achievement, soon to be accomplished." A slightly deranged grin decorated his features momentarily, figures from the spell seeming to be reflected in his eyes. 

Otogi smiled. "Any work of yours is great, Master Pegasus."

"This will surpass all that I have created before," Pegasus boasted. "For this… will grant me the Millennium Items!" Silence filled the room, only broken occasionally by the splashings of the fountain. 

For a moment, Otogi was shocked. The Millennium Items were so elusive as to almost be a legend, said to be held deep within the Pharaoh's palace, behind a shield of magic. The shield was unbreakable… Or so people believed. "But how?" Duke belatedly forgot to bow. "Forgive me, Master, for questioning your greatness, but how is this possible? The Pharaoh's magical seal cannot be broken!"

"This spell will break it," Pegasus confided. "It is almost done. One more line, I need, and it will be complete…" His fingers twitched, seeming eager to produce that final line. 

"That is amazing!" Otogi was delighted. "But Master, how much power does it require?"

Pegasus's smirk returned, sickeningly smooth. "Oh, not much. Not much… Just the energy force of one dragon…"

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

The Pharaoh slept uneasily, haunted by dreams of the boy that he had seen in the market a few days ago. There was only one way to describe him: _beautiful_. Though the boy looked a bit like him, he had an aura of pure innocence. Yami sighed. The boy seemed so… seductive… yet at the same time, it seemed somehow… wrong… to touch him, even, like if his purity was something that should only be looked upon and dreamed about.

__

Seijun… That was what the mage-sisters called him. Yami had no doubt that was not his real name. They had already said they would not give it. Yami turned over in his bed. Who was this completely gorgeous youth that looked so young, yet so old; so innocent, yet so wise? Yami blinked. What was he thinking?! First, it was "beautiful", now, that was upgraded to "gorgeous". He was a man! The Pharaoh, no less. He shouldn't be thinking this way about a peasant boy! Or any boy, for that matter…

Yami yawned and tried to sleep again, tried not to see the face of the beautiful— He groaned. "Beautiful" again… For a second, he wondered if he actually _wanted_ to see the boy in his mind. It did not take long to decide. Of course he did. It took only a little longer to decide whether it would be right to want to. His answer was a smirk. Did he care what was right and wrong? He was the Pharaoh, after all…

"What is your real name, little Seijun?" Yami murmured into the darkness. The ridiculousness of the situation made him chuckle. He was asking the wall. The boy was most certainly not on the wall. Seijun… Seijun… His tired mind remembered something. Oh yes. He knew what that word meant now. _Innocence_…

As if this was a great accomplishment, Yami finally went to sleep, dreaming of running with the amethyst-eyed boy over a green field filled with colorful flowers. In that state of mind, he did not question why there were golden wings on their backs… After all, was that not less ludicrous than a green field with flowers in the middle of the desert? Not to mention that he was alone in the small beauty. Yes, when put in perspective, the wings were downright ordinary. 

The figure hidden behind the curtains sighed in relief. He just _had_ to pick this day of all days to come rob the Pharaoh. He had almost been caught! He shook his head. Why did _he_ have to come? He was no professional Tomb Robber. (Ari- There… Just making sure the readers know it's not Baka-Baku… Bakura: WHAT did you call me?! Ari- *smirks* Your intimidation tricks don't work with me.)(Sage-*blinks*…. Baku-Baku? Correction, Oya oya!) Then again, this was hardly a tomb. The Pharaoh certainly expected no thief to come to his own bedroom. No thief desiring to live after the incident, at least.

"One mistake for you, one treasure for me…" the figure thought, tiptoeing past the Pharaoh's bed and gently lifting something off of the wall. He wrapped it in a piece of rough cloth, wondering at its strange trembling hum as he neared the sleeping Pharaoh. Was it recognizing its master, or was it something else? Somehow, he knew that the answer would not come to him any time in the near future, if at all. 

Silent as a shadow – or rather, making rather a lot of noise which, for some reason, didn't wake the Pharaoh from his beauty sleep – the figure ducked behind the curtain, and stepped out into fresh night air. Leaping from the Pharaoh's balcony to his garden, the figure stepped lightly on the stone path and climbed over the palace wall, wondering at the lack of defenses around the Pharaoh. Entirely too late, his legs reacted to his harsh landing, and he nearly yelped in pain. 

As he left, limping now, he unwrapped his prize. The silver moonlight glinted off of a blue-white blade…

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

The golden dragon yawned, bored. His friends were busy hunting, and he had gone back to his own cave. His two friends' warning a day ago seemed irrelevant now. After all, why would someone want to come after him? He was only a child. A mere child…. Another yawn followed the thought. 

Deciding that he was more tired than he thought, and there was really nothing better to do, the little dragon stretched, then curled up, and went to sleep. He thought he detected a strange scent, but who would come here to his mountain? Most humans couldn't get up to his cave alive, in any case, and those that didn't fall into that category usually weren't the kind to slay golden dragons for no reason. 

His musings turned to the young man he had met in the market last time. The Pharaoh.… He certainly did not expect the Pharaoh to be so.… kind. He knew that they would meet someday, but he had always envisioned the meeting to be horrifying, filled with blood and fire, and magical weapons that could pierce even his strong scales. The youth he had met certainly did not seem the type to do that. Of course, appearances could be very deceiving… 

"Handsome…" the golden dragon murmured. The part of his mind that was still awake was shocked at his thoughts. Of course, the sleeping part gave even more mortifying adjectives… _"Mmmmmm… Hot… Sexy…"_

"Who is?" a voice disturbed his slumber. It wasn't an incredibly pleasant voice. 

The little dragon was still mostly asleep. "He is… The man I met at the market… The Pha—"

His eyes flew open, and he let loose a fireball impulsively as he felt the magical dragon's bane knife. Completely regaining consciousness, he mentally cursed himself vehemently for being so stupid. 

"Good reflexes," the man congratulated, stepping into his sight. "But not enough for me. Surrender, now, or be destroyed." His voice grew even less pleasant, gaining a viscous edge.

The little dragon snorted. "You can't kill me, even if you do have that knife. You have not the right to wield it." Amethyst eyes narrowed, half in anger, half in sheer annoyance. 

"I do," the man informed him. "After all, I am the Pharaoh of Egypt. It is my family's heritage to destroy you evil fiends. Surrender willingly, and I might allow you to live. In human form, as my slave, of course." His voice…. Now, it held no trace of anything besides sinister evil. 

The dragon hesitated. Was this…? But no… The youth he had met at the market was the Pharaoh, wasn't he? But this man seemed so regal, so sure… Yet… The aura… He did not have the right aura. His blood did not sing of Tennyo's magic… Tennyo, who lived as a human and gave birth to the Pharaoh's child… Or was this perhaps the father of the youth? He made a face in his mind. Tennyo would not love a disgusting man like this one.

"You're not the Pharaoh," the little dragon argued. "I heard that the Pharaoh was very handsome and dangerous-looking."

"Meaning I'm not?" The man was indignant, insulted. His scowl twisted his features horribly. 

"Of course not. You look like a worm beneath my feet, unworthy of even my notice."

Snarling, the man attacked.

The golden dragon dodged to the side, sending the intruder sailing past him, arms outstretched. Skidding to a stop, he turned and launched himself back to make another attempt. This time, the dragon remained until the last moment before lashing out his tail, catching the man on the shoulder.

"Ugh…." Despite his grunt of pain, the man gave a twisted grin. "Good, however, not good enough." Shaking his shoulders, as if merely shaking off the wound, he dove again, making sure to keep his speed in check so as not to repeat his first mistake. The dragon lashed out once more, but the intruder was expecting this, and dodged to the side. 

The small dragon growled, baring long, sharp teeth. Stretching his wings to their full span, he began flapping furiously, filling the cave with strong gusts. Dust flew, small rocks were lifted from their moorings, but the infuriating intruder remained where he was, crouched low and still grinning. He opened his mouth once more to taunt his adversary, but this was his fatal mistake. A clump of dust took the opportunity to fly down his throat. 

"Hrk!" The man clawed as his throat, coughing. The small dragon smiled grimly, and stalked forward to finish off the offender. However, luck was not with him. Eyes streaming, the stranger struggled to his feet, holding the accursed knife in front of him like a shield. 

"I'm not *cough* defeated *cough* yet, fool…." Finally discovering talking only made the problem worse, the man shut his mouth. Seeing as how the small dragon was not entirely sure what his condition was, he took advantage of the situation and rushed forward, preparing to slash the golden creature. 

The small dragon leaped to the side, but not quickly enough. The blade had nicked his back leg, creating a small gash that promptly began bleeding. With a gasp, the creature crumpled, the dragonsbane making the small wound burn like his leg had been taken off. His tail lashed in a desperate attempt to finish off the enemy, but it was fruitless. The poison was working too well.

In a last ditch attempt, the dragon hazily thought to turn to his human form. 'Maybe…. It won't affect me so much…. Nn.." His thoughts were scrambled. As swiftly as he could manage, he shed his natural golden body. When he had finished, a small boy lay curled up on the floor, clutching at a bloody gash in his leg. 

"How could you even think to have a chance against me?" Pegasus mocked, not at all taken aback by the transformation. "You should have just surrendered. Now, we have the same result, with a lot of unpleasantness."

"Next time," the dragon-boy growled angrily, large amethyst eyes flashing strangely through his innocence. "Next time, I'll defeat you!" The silver-haired man shook his head, a sick smile plastered on his features. Striding towards the boy, he grabbed a small shoulder and pressed the knife against his cheek. He didn't cut the skin, but the fumes of the dragonsbane had an affect all of their own. 

Eyes rolling up into the back of his head, the boy slumped over, unconscious.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"At last, my spell will be complete!"

The Pharaoh's look-alike, despite his anger and drowsiness, stared at the shimmering shield of magic curiously. What lay beyond was so powerful as to rival his own magic. Yet.… So elusive…. Not everyone could use that magic.

"I see you are looking at that," Pegasus noticed, sniggering. "Those behind this wall are the Millennium Items! They house incredible power, and they will be MINE! How, you ask? No, you're not asking? Well, you'll need to know, because I'm using _your_ energy to power my spell. It wouldn't do for me to get killed by my own spell, now, would it?"

The spell tablet was set in front of them, every one of its fine lines re-traced with dragon blood. The dragon-boy's blood. The sickness of the entire thing made the afore-mentioned boy pale. 

"Now… I will be invincible!"

Pegasus activated his spell.

A shrill scream pierced the air. The dragon-boy fell to the ground, writhing in pain. He suffered no physical wounds except the tiny cut from which Pegasus extracted his blood, but the pain! It burned him from the inside… It burned!

Slowly, slowly, the seal opened… Pegasus reached inside, a vile smirk on his face. 

"Close!" the dragon-boy murmured through clenched teeth, his violet eyes determined. "Do not cede your powers to this evil man! I command you!" He threw his entire will behind the last statement. 

The seal began to shut.

With an angry growl, Pegasus grabbed an object, the smallest one, and pulled his hand out, just in time. As soon as the limb was clear, the magic crashed shut with an audible bang.

"I have no time to deal with you right now," Pegasus threatened, eyes flaring in rage, "but when I find you again, you will find yourself in a world of pain!" It didn't seem much of a threat, considering the circumstances. The dragon-boy lay prone on the floor of the palace, hearing nothing. He was not breathing…

"You!"

Pegasus ran as bolts of fire chased him, but they soon stopped.

Sage stared in horror at the sight before her, all thoughts of pursuit evaporating from her mind. This boy… She knew him… 

A gasp informed her of another presence, though her magic had already detected him. Yami knelt by the boy, checking his pulse.

"Let's get him to your sister," he suggested, pale with terror. "NOW!" Fear caused his voice to crack, a fear he had never felt before. 

"She's waiting," Sage muttered. "We felt the disturbances in magic as soon as they started…"

Yami scooped the boy up carefully into his arms, his skin once again tingling at the contact. They boy's body was unusually cold – a bad sign. Without waiting to see if the mage-girl was following, he ran to their suite, to the healer sister.

As he came close, Ari opened the door and ushered them inside. 

"Lay him down on that mat and get this into him," she commanded briskly, handing him a few herbs.

Yami blinked. "How?" He noticed his hands were trembling slightly, and swiftly put a stop to it. He was the Pharaoh, he could not be seen in this state. 

Ari sighed. "Chew it," she explained, as if to a child. "And put it into his mouth. And don't touch it with your hands once the leaves are broken up, it loses potency if brought into contact with skin oils after being wetted." 

"Then how am I supposed to put it into his—"

"Do I have to explain everything?" she asked in exasperation. "His mouth's open already. Just push it in with your tongue, and make sure he swallows it. All of it." 

Sage came into the room as Yami was in an awkward position, straddling the younger boy's hips, and seemingly kissing him deeply.

//Ari-Chan… What did you do…? Why's he… Should I even ask? I mean, it coincides perfectly with our prediction, but really…// Despite the situation, a grin cracked on her face. 

She smirked behind Yami's back. /He's giving Yugi herbs. Herbs that must be chewed, that cannot be touched by anything other than the mouth once they are broken up./

Sage's eyes widened. //Where did you find _those_?! We could have gotten so many other people to kiss so much more easily if—//

Ari giggled softly. /I'm not doing this on purpose, Sage-Chan. I require those herbs this time. They're very dangerous…/ 

Sage sighed. //There goes my idea.//

Yami looked up, finally realizing how it might have looked. Suddenly, his pants seemed a bit too tight… Realizing that the healer was waiting to use her magic, and that he was _still_ straddling the boy, he quickly jumped up, blushing fiercely. He didn't hear Sage snickering softly behind him.

After a few moments under Ari's magic, the dragon-boy looked up. He looked around blearily, appearing as though he had just been taking a nap. 

"What were you doing here?!" Yami demanded immediately, remembering his responsibility. "We found you near the seal, and one of the Millennium Items is missing."

The boy shrank back in fear, and Yami felt his heart ache. _Smart. He wakes up from near death and you interrogate him in the harshest voice you can muster. Very smart._

"A silver-haired man ran away just before you got there, Pharaoh," Sage murmured. "No, not Ryou, of course. The boy… The boy was used as a source of energy."

Yami's heart hurt even more now. He longed to hold the boy… Why was he staring at the sisters strangely?

__

What the… What are they_ doing here? Is this where they have been for the past months?_

"He is still weak, Pharaoh," Ari reminded Yami gently. "You should leave now, get some rest. We will bring him to the main hall tomorrow morning."

As Yami left, the three stared at each other. 

"What are _you_ doing here?!" the boy demanded in surprise.

Sage shrugged. "We… um… work here?" She grinned rather sheepishly.

"And why…" he blushed. "Why do my lips feel kinda… wet?"

Ari giggled, and Sage joined in. Finally, the healer-girl calmed down enough to answer.

"You were almost dead, and we had to give you some draco osculum herbs…" 

The boy's eyes widened considerably. "Which… Which of you gave that to me?"

They laughed harder.

"It… It wasn't us, little Yugi… It was the Pharaoh!"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Authors' Notes: Sage- Hee, dontcha just love the herb thing? ^_^

Ari- *smirks* My herb...

Sage- Hai, hai, your idea…. Couldn't have planned it better myself. ^_^ The name means "dragon's kiss" in case you all were wondering…. Heh, I helped with that part.

Ari- *grins* Yep... *still in dreamland* I love my herbs...

Sage- *shakes her head* I think Yami likes em more, mwa ha. 

Ari- Oooooohhhhh, lemme go check on them... *runs into a room and immediately runs back out, bright red* Nope, don't want to check on them... O_o

Sage- *falls over laughing* I coulda told you that. 

Ari- Well... anyway... *turns cute and chibi and yugi-ish again with big eyes* Wead and wewiew! Pwease?

Sage- Oya, not the Yugi thing! PLEASE JUST REVIEW!!! THAT LOOK IS DEADLY!!!


	3. Various Mishaps

Author's Notes: Sage- HA! ANOTHER CHAPTER! BOO-YA!!

Ari- *is still sleeping* Dragons don't need sleep... Mmmmm...

Sage- Riiiight… *rolls her eyes* ANYWAYS… there's a bit more fluff in this chapter! ^_^

Ari: *smirks* Fluff... Interesting fluff... Also introducing the people for our other pairings

Sage- *mutters* Stupid tomb robber….

Ari- Hey now..

Sage- Yea yea yea. All right, you do the disclaimer, you're better at em. ^_^

Yugi- *walks in* What am I doing here?

Ari- *points to Yugi* YOU do the disclaimer.

Yugi- Why meeee?

Ari- *threateningly* We'll take out the fluff if you don't….

Yugi- O_O

Sage- No we wouldn't, and you know it!

Ari- *sulks* It was a threat!

Yugi- Ha,you wouldn't.

Ari- *drags in the Dark Magician* DARKIE-CHAN!! You can do the disclaimer!

Dark: *blinks* Right. Sage and Ari do not own Yu-Gi-Oh or any of its characters. This story will contain Yaoi content, so if you don't like it, don't read it. The pairings (as stated in the summary) are Yami x Yugi, Bakura x Ryou, and Seto x Jou

Ari: *hugs Dark Magician*

Sage- Ja, ja… ON WITH IT!!

Ari: FLUFF! *falls back asleep* On to the fic...

Yugi: *sneaks in and reads Ari's manga* Hai...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Yugi's amethyst eyes widened considerably, and he felt a blush creeping up his cheeks. _I wish I had been awake for that... What?!_ He shook his head fiercely. Where had _that_ come from?! 

"W-what are you guys doing here?" Yugi asked, stuttering.

Sage rolled her eyes, though her voice was gentle. "We told you that already. We work here. Well, kinda."

"You work for the Pharaoh?" Yugi frowned. Bakura told him that the Pharaoh was evil… Bakura told him that the Pharaoh was a Dragonslayer… "D-does he know who you are…? Who I am…"

Ari shook her head. "Don't worry, the Pharaoh is very nice. And we don't exactly work for him…"

"We're wanderers," Sage explained. "We're just staying in the palace for now. Our… um… interests… are our own." She forced down a grin she could feel coming on. 

Ari smirked. "Interests…"

__

My interests… Yugi's mind thought without his consent. _Now, that would be the Ph— NO! No, I did NOT just almost think what I thought I thought… Ugh, I'm just confusing myself._

Ari poked his arm gently. "Are you alright, little brother?" She raised an eyebrow. 

Yugi looked up. "Hai, Ane…" (Ari- Ane means older sister, I think) He hesitated. "Ari-Chan… Sage-Chan… Are… are you sure it's all right? I mean… B-bakura-Kun said that the Pharaoh was dangerous."

Sage smirked. "No one can defeat us when we combine our powers. And besides… He wouldn't hurt us. He has no reason to…"

"But Bakura said—"

"Who cares what the stupid Tomb Robber said!" Sage grumbled. "Anyway, all you need to know is this: Ari and I are pretending to be half-sisters. And you should pretend that you're not related to her."

Yugi blinked. "But why are you here? You should be home, getting marrie—"

"I am _not_ getting married!" Sage declared vehemently, making a face. "No way, nuh-uh, not a chance. And besides, there's no one that I like back there."

"There's someone here?" Yugi asked innocently. A little too innocently, but it was kind of hard to tell with him. 

Sage growled, not knowing if he really had no clue, or if he was playing innocent. "That… is none of your business. And besides, you're tired. Go to sleep."

"Yes, Sage-Chan, you should do that too," Ari smirked. "You can go to your room, and Yugi can sleep on a cot on the ground. I'll watch him."

"Why you?" Sage protested. It's not that she didn't like sleeping, but still…

"I'm the oldest," Ari answered. "I'm quite a bit older than all of you, and just a liiiiiiiittle younger than Bakura. I don't need sleep."

Sage shrugged. "Have it your way, then. I _am_ tired…" Muttering something or other, she strode off to her room.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

As Ari sat during the night, someone knocked on the door. She tiptoed over to the door and opened it slightly. Suddenly, she squealed happily, though softly.

"Darkie! Chaos!"

Sage came out of the side room, rubbing her eyes. "Ari-Chan, go to sleep, I'll take over the watchi— CHAOS!!"

The two Duel Monsters smiled in amusement.

"Sage…" Chaos Mage whispered. "I found a new spell. Yami wants you to go look at it and see if you can learn it. It takes too much of Ryou's energy to cast, and he doesn't have enough time to study it."

"What is it?" Sage asked suspiciously. "And why did you have to wake me up in the middle of the night for it?" She managed to blink the last bit of sleep away, and managed to produce a rather convincing glare. Well, to anyone who didn't know her any better anyway.

"You're already awake," Chaos Mage chided, but then, he turned serious. "It's basically a banishing spell, or expelling spell. Yami had us look it up because of the strange man coming in. For the spell…"

"Shhhhh, let's talk outside."

Chaos nodded. Outside their door, they resumed their conversation. "For the spell, you need to know the target's name, which could prove to be difficult. But once you do know, a few simple words and a _lot_ of energy will ensure that the person can _never_ return. The spell was woven so deftly that we were unable to find any faults in it, which, hopefully, will be the case with him too."

"Alright." Sage took the scroll of the spell into her hands and looked over the words needed to learn it. Her eyes widened considerably. "This will take hours!!" Probably because of her sleep-deprived state, she brought a hand to her heart dramatically, and rolled her eyes to the ceiling. "You're all going to kill me!"

Chaos Mage laughed. "That was the reason my Master sent us here now, so that you or your sister can learn it before daybreak." 

"Well, she's busy, so I guess I'll have to…" Sage murmured, her eyes unconsciously reading the words. "And it's much better suited to my element than hers." 

A few hours later, a very tired Sage pumped her fist into the air triumphantly and handed the scroll back to the Magician of Black Chaos. (Ari: Meh… his full name's long…) (Sage- precisely, which is why we call him Chaos, silly) Refusing to be carried or even supported in any way, she stepped into the room, intending to toss the spell to Ari and have the silver-haired girl learn it. However, she reversed her throw and placed it on the table instead. Her "half-sister" was asleep, curled up on the couch next to the Dark Magician. Her head was resting on the duel magician's lap, and she was obviously not going to be waking up anytime soon. 

Sage snorted softly. "Don't need sleep indeed, Ari-Chan?"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"And now, I present… Yugi Mutou!" Ari announced, bowing dramatically. Sage, sitting beside her, giggled. 

//Wow Ari, you could do this for a living.//

/Oh, shush./

Yugi stared at the ground, peering up at the Pharaoh shyly. At his older sister's words, he stepped forward slowly and gave a graceful bow.

"I…" Yugi blinked. What was he supposed to say? "I thank you for letting me stay, Pharaoh…"

Yami smiled softly and nodded. "You are welcome here at any time. And I wish to thank you for saving my life that other day."

Yugi looked up, surprised, and gasped as his amethyst eyes met Yami's ruby ones. The one word he could think of was "beautiful"… Well, maybe there were a few more, but if he dwelt on them much longer his face would become a shade of red to match that of the pharaoh's eyes. 

Sage elbowed Ari and grinned, pointing her head towards them subtly. //See? I toooooold you…//

/I didn't disagree, did I?/

Someone in the crowd coughed, and the two broke their eye contact.

Sage glared fiercely in that direction.

Ari giggled. /Now, now, Sage-Chan, don't kill people for coughing. They didn't know that something special was going on./

//They did too!// Sage complained. //That wasn't a real cough. That was a "great, can we get moving now?" cough.// Scowling, she finally turned away from the offender. //Maybe he could 'accidentally' fall in a big pit later and…//

/Sage-chan!/ There was amusement in Ari's mental statement, but she still shook her head slightly. 

Yami was filled with indecision. What should he do now? There really was not much else to do, as he had asked the sisters to come at the end of the meeting. He certainly wanted to spend some time with the gorgeous boy… He blinked. What was he thinking?! A lot, apparently…

"You may leave now," he announced to his court, waving a hand dismissively. He growled softly. Would they just hurry up and _leave_?! Ryou and Seto, sitting beside him on the opposite of the two mage-sisters, looked at each other, amused. Their Pharaoh had never been this impatient before, even when they were planning to go to the market.

Soon, everyone was gone except the High Priest, the Mage, the two sisters, and, of course, Yami and little Yugi. The pharaoh thought for a moment, trying to determine the best way to lower that number even more without sounding suspicious. 

"Will you let us talk for a moment?" Yami asked politely. Seto and Ryou bowed and left, but the two girls just stood there, grinning. "Alone." Yami emphasized.

He realized his mistake when Sage smirked and Ari giggled.

"Of course, Pharaoh," Sage said mockingly. "We'll leave you two _alone_." Yami raised an eyebrow slightly. The tone of her voice implicated that she knew something… No one had mentioned either of the sisters being mind readers…

As they left, Ari smiled comfortingly to her worried-looking little dragon brother.

Yugi watched his sister and her friend leave, and turned to Yami uncertainly. Ari, his nature-born sister, and Sage, who seemed a second sister to him, trusted him. He should too… shouldn't he? He bit a lip, considering everything in general. 

"Thank you…" Yami whispered to break the silence. Suddenly, it seemed somehow wrong to speak loudly. "For saving me the last time in the market, I mean." The smaller boy filled his entire range of thought, making his senses reel. What on earth was managing to send those tingles up his spine?

"You said that already," Yugi mumbled. What was he supposed to do? How was he supposed to talk to this… this Pharaoh? Should he ask the question that was on his mine? _Why was he following me in the first place…?_

"I'm sorry for following you," Yami apologized, almost as if he could read Yugi's thoughts. "I suppose you could call it curiosity. I am sure you have noticed this fact, that you look almost exactly like me." _Only much more beautiful…and delicate…perfect…_

"Yes…" Yugi did not know what else to say. "I…" He wanted to ask another question… "Ph-pharaoh… I sensed a Dragon's Bane weapon before… Why is it not here now?"

Yami blinked. How could he have…? "How did you know it was there?" He winced. The question came out harsher than he had meant. More than ever, he desired the ability to take back his last statement and re-shape it. 

"I…" Yugi started to back away, but stopped at the expression in Yami's eyes. They held such… longing… Yugi shook his head. That could _not_ have been it. Now he was having delusions. 

"I'm sorry…" Yami murmured. "Very few people know of the knife. I was surprised that you did. The truth is, someone stole it a few nights ago. I have not been cautious, mostly because I had not anticipated that someone would be so bold as to come in here, and that very few people not of my bloodline can use it. And…" He frowned thoughtfully. "I am usually a light sleeper." _But that night… That night I was dreaming of you… What are you doing to my mind, Yugi? Innocent Yugi… Beautiful Yugi…_

Something snapped in the dragon-child's mind at the thought of sleeping. He wanted to sleep… Particularly with the Phara— _Ack, no! I did NOT just think that. I didn't, I didn't…. I did, didn't I? _

"I didn't mean to pry, Pharaoh…" Yugi said shyly.

"Call me Yami, please." Ruby eyes softened in a smile.

"Yami…" Yugi turned that word over and over in his mind, gently, lovingly… He blinked. Lovingly?! Some of the adjectives were definitely getting to him…

"Come here, Yugi…" Yami murmured. He did _not_ know what he was doing. He wanted to hold the boy in his arms, but he knew that he should not. His body seemed on fire, and a voice in the back of his head seemed to be cheering loudly. 

"H-hai…" Yugi's feet moved of their own accord. Closer, closer… Suddenly, he stumbled… 

And found himself staring up into the sparkling ruby eyes of the "feared" Pharaoh, their noses touching, lips only inches apart… Slowly, slowly, their heads tilted, and moved closer… 

Someone coughed. "Ph-pharaoh?!"

Both boys looked up and broke away faster than thought humanly possible, each turning a bright shade of red. Yugi quickly found his shoes incredibly interesting, and the other turned to the interrupting voice.

"It's not what you think!" Yami said, before anything else. It did not even occur to him in that moment that servants could be punished…

"Of course not, Pharaoh," the servant agreed, though with a hint of amusement that he could not control.

Yami sighed. "He tripped and I caught him."

"I know, Pharaoh, I saw."

Now, with his senses regained, Yami glared at the servant regally. "Why are you here? I sent everyone out!"

The servant trembled, severely wishing someone else had been sent to do this. "Ph-pharaoh, the m-mage sisters advised that the boy Yugi likes to be outdoors. They claim to have known him from before."

Yami stared at Yugi in surprise. --The servant, seeing his chance, quickly dashed out of the room.-- Outdoors? And still have such pale skin? "Do you want to go to the market, little one?"

Yugi smiled up happily. "Hai, Yami-Chan!"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Meanwhile, at the Dragon Cave, a few friends and no-so-friends were having a meeting.

"We've gotta go save Yug!" the little green dragon declared, flickering in and out of his human image nervously. "Da Pharaoh's got him, and if we don't save him, something bad's gonna happen ta him!" 

"The Pharaoh can't be that hard to beat," the brown dragon interjected. "We can probably take him down. Uh, right, Bakura?" He looked to the white dragon, the eldest of the "younger" dragons that were out of hiding. (Ari: Baku-Baku…)(Sage- Oya oya.) 

The white dragon snorted. "Fool, Honda. The Pharaoh has the Dragon's Bane weapons, and he is descended from a line of Dragonslayers." This was stated as if it was the most obvious thing in the world, right next to the sky is blue and water is wet.

The green dragon finally settled on his human form, a pale boy with blonde hair, honey-brown eyes, wearing a green shirt. "B-but Yug might get hurt!" He shifted from one foot to the other, looking incredibly worried. 

Bakura directed his eyes at the boy. "If we go, Jounouchi, we will ALL get killed, and be no closer to saving Yugi."

"But…"

Bakura glared, and the boy fell silent, gulping.

"Do you mean to just leave him there?!" the lavender dragon with large violet eyes asked in shock. "He is probably the most powerful of us that are left, save the two girls, and he is the only Gold left! He is the only heir of…"

"Shut up, Mai." The white dragon turned his red-brown eyes to the lavender dragon, one of the three females left and the only that stayed with them.

"No!" Mai's fear turned her into her human form, a blonde-haired woman with violet eyes, but she kept going. "Don't push me around, Bakura. I am not one of the children. I am the third-eldest alive that has not gone into hiding. We are already so few… We can't afford to lose another, especially not Yugi!" Crossing her arms, she made an attempt at glaring. It wasn't that effective, considering the target was still in dragon-form.

"If we go," Bakura hissed, "it will be the end of us. We won't just lose Yugi, we'll lose _everyone_!"

Mai shook her head. "I heard that someone stole the Knife."

Jou looked at her in hope. "Then, we can…"

"He still has the Sword!" Bakura growled.

"He can't use it," Mai said, smirking. "He's not powerful enough. Strangely, he has never tried to practice his lineage. Now, why is that?"

"Tennyo…"

"Yes, Tennyo," Mai nodded. "He _is_ her son. After all, golden dragons tend to look that way in human form, do they not?"

"Let's save Yugi," Honda declared. "We can go tonight."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"How would you like to taste the special Pharaoh's Dinner?" Yami asked the hungry-looking Yugi as they came home.

"Pharaoh's dinner?" Yugi blinked, and Yami smiled at the cuteness.

"Hai." The Pharaoh lifted the dragon-boy into his arms and carried him to the banquet hall. "You look famished…"

At the hall, they sat at the central table, and Yugi gaped at the splendor and beauty of the room. The table was covered with a thick purple cloth hemmed with gold, and similar cloths hung from the walls in draping patterns. Every utensil and plate glittered, reflecting the flickering light from the multitudes of candles and torches located around the room. Each of these seemed to glow with a different color of fire every time he tried to get a better look, marking them instantly as mage fires. From nearly every possible location, gold decorations shone, somehow looking uncluttered and perfectly positioned. Even the floor was particularly fine, made of highly-polished marble.

"Hiiiii, Yami, we'll be joining you!" Sage stepped out of the middle of nowhere and plopped into the seat beside the Pharaoh, grinning broadly. Ari did likewise beside Yugi.

During this, Yugi was staring at the food blankly. What was he supposed to eat? He had never even _seen_ most of this before, and certainly tasted none. He looked to his silver-haired sister for help, but she was ignoring him. Purposely.

"Why aren't you eating?" Yami asked in concern. His eyes quickly scanned all the food before them, checking for flaws or perhaps giant bugs that might be warding off the younger one's appetite. (Sage- not just bugs, GIANT bugs! BUGZILLA MAN!! *just had a very large coke, can you tell?*)

"I…" Yugi looked down. "I don't know what to eat… I've never eaten any of this before."

"Oh?" Yami was surprised. "Then what do you usually eat?"

__

Whatever animal happens to wander near my cave, Yugi thought bitterly. _But I can't tell you that, can I? I don't want to scare you away… I lo— What?!_

Sage sighed impatiently. "Yami, he's a peasant child. They have practically _nothing_ to eat." She mentally grimaced at having to describe Yugi that way, but quickly managed to get over it. 

"Oh…" Yami had an idea, and brightened. "Why don't I show you, Yugi?" He reached for some meat, and as he handed the piece to the dragon-boy, their hands brushed gently, and Yami felt a pleasant shiver run up his spine.

Yugi felt it too, of course, but said nothing. Putting the meat to his lips, he nibbled it slightly. Suddenly, his eyes flew open. "This is delicious!"

Yami smiled, a bit sadly, as the boy wolfed down his food. He looked like someone who had to watch over his shoulder as he ate, or someone would steal what little he had… Almost like some kind of hunter…

His musings were broken as Yugi choked slightly, a morsel of food going down too quickly. Almost of its own accord, his body leapt over and patted Yugi on the back.

As Yugi coughed, Yami realized what an awkward position his hand was – under Yugi's shirt. Apparently, it slid down the top of Yugi's collar in the confusion. 

__

How did THAT happen?! Yami demanded to himself. _I wasn't trying to… I mean, I was only… Gah!_

__

Don't tell me you don't want to feel him, another part of his mind said, smirking. _You know you want to touch that smooth skin… Beautiful smooth white skin… And you want to kiss those soft, rosy lips…_

Yami's eyes widened considerably. _WHAT did you say?! I do not, I…!! He's a boy!_

"Um… Yami…?" Yugi asked softly. "A-are you alright?"

Yami blinked. He was arguing with himself about whether he liked touching this innocent boy…?! His face reddened. Not only was he a raging bundle of emotions, now he was going insane.

Yugi was having trouble thinking coherently, as Yami's hand was still in direct contact with his back. He wondered briefly if he should inform the Pharaoh, but decided that he liked it there. _Wait a second, LIKED it there?!_

After a few more seconds, Yami finally realized why he could only see one of his hands. (Sage- *falls over laughing* Agh, I'm so hyper, that just sounded like the FUNNIEST THING MAN!! "Hey, I'm supposed to have TWO of these…" *laughs*) The other was, of course, still under Yugi's shirt, and it was starting to caress his back _without_ Yami's permission. Turning even more red, he quickly removed it, hoping no one would notice.

Fortunately – or unfortunately – the rest of the dinner passed without mishap. Unless, of course, you wanted to count when Yami had been leaning slightly toward Yugi in attempts to retrieve a piece of fruit, and Sage "accidentally" bumped him in the back, bringing him much closer to the smaller boy than originally intended. Or, perhaps, the time Yugi had wrapped a leg around one of the pharaoh's, mistaking it for a table leg. Well, mistaking it at first anyway. Once he discovered his err, he fought a near-losing battle with a part of his mind that wanted to keep the leg there for a while. Soon, it was time for bed. It was then that Yami realized the little boy had nowhere to sleep.

"Well…" Yami began uncertainly. "Why don't you stay with me tonight, and we can arrange a room for you tomorrow?" 

"I… I would be honored, Pharaoh," Yugi muttered nervously. Stay with Yami? Part of him reeeaaaaaaaally wanted to, but another small part was scared. After all, Yami was the feared Dragonslayer. He was a Dragon. Even a child could do _that_ equation. But Yami didn't know that he was a dragon, did he? Yugi intended to keep it that way.

Yami smiled warmly. "Then it's settled." Somewhere, in the back of his mind, something seemed to be running in circles and nearly tripping over itself in joy. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Say, do you know where Yug is?" Jou whispered to Honda. They were inside the Pharaoh's palace, and finally realized that it was a maze of corridors and rooms. How were they supposed to find Yugi?

"How should I know?" Honda declared, though softly. "I've never been here before."

Mai looked to Bakura. "You can track him, can't you?" An eyebrow raised.

The white-haired tomb-robbing dragon was, for once, uncertain. "I feel the presence of four dragons. I can't tell which one is Yugi. He was no close friend of mine. If little Jou was older, he could probably tell their auras apart. But as he is, he can't even feel them."

"Den we split up and look for 'im?" Jou asked.

Bakura shrugged. "I suppose." He felt nervous in this palace, just like he did in one of the especially difficult tombs he had robbed… He tried to shake off the feeling, but it wasn't really working…

They split up, each going their separate ways.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Ryou was the first to feel the alien presence in the Pharaoh's palace. He quickly sat up, fearing that it might be Pegasus again. He knew that soon, it would be enough to wake Seto and Yami, and the two mage-sisters were probably aware of it. But then, he detected a difference. It was not one person. There were four, and one of them was heading speedily towards his room. Ryou created a false image of himself in the bed, and stood by the window, shielded.

Slowly, slowly, the door opened, and a head poked into the room. A head with snowy-white hair. Ryou could not suppress his gasp, then mentally kicked himself for the lack of ability.

Bakura heard the soft sound immediately, and raised a hand in that direction, surrounded by power. Now that he looked for it, he could feel the magic in this room. _The Pharaoh's mage, huh… I've heard that he was beautiful and innocent-looking…_

"Come out before I hit you with this," Bakura snarled. "And turn on your light. Don't you know the etiquette of meeting guests?"

Ryou stepped forward timidly, dispelling his illusions. As a soft glow entered the room, Bakura understood why the boy was so shocked. The white dragon's human form looked almost exactly like him, only older, more powerful. Instead of the chocolate-brown eyes that Ryou had, Bakura's were glowing with a reddish light. 

"You're quite a pretty one," Bakura murmured, smirking. "What's your name?"

"R-ryou…" The little mage was spellbound, helpless. He wasn't quite sure exactly what he was spellbound by, but his thoughts weren't necessarily focused on finding out.

"I am Bakura," the white dragon announced. "Now that introductions are made, aren't you going to offer me a place to sleep for the night?" His eyes rove over Ryou's body, before resting on the boy's bed.

Ryou paled, his skin almost matching his hair. "No… Please, no…"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Seto yawned and wondered why exactly he had awoken. Something was telling him that all was not right... But he should wait for Ryou's warning. The mage always felt intruders first.

Seconds ticked by. Minutes passed, and still, there was no sign of anything. Seto yawned again, getting ready to go back to sleep. He wondered what time it was…

"_AAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!!!_"

He sat up immediately at Ryou's cry in his mind. The little mage sounded in pain!

"_Seto, intruders…!! Help, I'm… AHHHH… Warn… Warn Yami! Help me, I—"_

The cry was cut off abruptly. It was then that Seto realized that something was seriously wrong. For one thing, his mind was not detecting anyone. _They must have cloaked themselves magically. Only Ryou could feel that…_

Suddenly, his door burst open. Striking blue eyes met honey brown in surprise. For a second, both stood frozen, but the High Priest moved first, his hand clamping down on the intruder's arm.

"No! Leggo of me!" Jou struggled in Seto's grasp, trying to remember a spell. The High Priest merely looked at him calmly and knocked on the back of his head. Jou fell like a rock and stayed still.

Seto walked around the unconscious boy, studying him. The first thought on his mind was that this youth was gorgeous, with his golden hair and pale skin. He hoped that he had not hurt the boy too much. After all, he had done nothing yet.

With a word of command, Seto bound Jou's hands and feet, binding his magic in the process. Now, he had to warn the Pharaoh…

"_Yami…_" Seto concentrated in his mind. "_Yami, wake up, damnit!_" 

"_What is it?_" The voice was sleepy.

"_Some… people… are here!_" Seto was frantic. "_One of them has Ryou, and I captured one. I don't know how many there are! I have suspicions that Ryou's magic's bound._"

Yami was fully awake now, though Seto felt his reluctance to leave little Yugi. He didn't exactly have the time to question the precise reason for this; an order was being barked into his head. "_Get the sisters. Your room's the closest to theirs…_"

"_Yes, my Pharaoh._"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Sage- UGH! Why are we close to SETO?!?

Ari- Cause it was the first thing that came to mind….?

Sage- Oya. -_- OK!! Anyways, very important note here…

Ari- Well? What is it?

Sage- I was getting to that…. ANYWAYS!! You all remember Pegasus's house? Well, my friend Silver has claimed it. *nods*

Ari- Eh?

Sage- Ja, she now gets the house at the end of the story. ^_^

Silver- *runs in* YEEE HA!! 

Sage and Ari- *blink blink*


End file.
